Posts Tagged ‘Film tourism’

Have you ever thought of how much of your knowledge and desire to travel to other places in the world is influenced by the movies you watch? It has always mesmerized me to see the power that the film industry exerts on tourism.

A recent example is the Mama Mia movie. The setting of this movie is a Greece island called Kalokari and the main character runs a beautiful hotel called Villa Donna. Apparently after the movie was released this island and the hotel became so popular that people were trying to book their vacation in both Kalokari and Villa Donna. Funny enough, neither the island nor the hotel exist. The real name of the island is Skopelos and the hotel was built on the 007 stage at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.

Another good example is the Harry Potter movies. According to BBC News, these films “led to a 120% rise in visitors to Northumberland’s Alnwick Castle” in England; and “have brought about £9m worth of tourism to the region.”

And if we look at examples in the U.S, things don’t change much. Few people visited Fort Hays in Kansas until Kevin Costner’s Indian saga, “Dances with Wolves.” The movie is set there and after its release people flocked to Fort Hays, but what not many people know is that it was really shot in South Dakota.

Movies are constantly bombarding us with information about other places. I believe that if this information is used correctly it can lead us to discover some of the most amazing destinations, which otherwise we might have never thought of. To be honest, after watching Mrs. Doubtfire and the charming San Francisco Cable Car and beautiful streets I was one of those film-influenced tourists who booked a flight on their next vacation. Films can be a great source of information when deciding what destination to visit next. So next time you are watching a movie pay close attention to its settings, you might find your dream destination. But be careful, not all you see in movies is always true!

Leave us a comment! Have you ever decided a vacation destination after watching a movie?